Of Vampires and Ghosts
by jayma
Summary: An unexpected visitor from George's past plays matchmaker with his two housemates. Replaces end of Episode Five. Warning: Fluff/Romance/Angst.
1. Chapter 1: Ariana

**Title**: Of Vampires and Ghosts, Chapter One: Ariana  
**Summary**: An unexpected visitor from George's past plays matchmaker with his two housemates.  
**Disclaimer**: Being Human does not belong to me, but man I'm pissed I didn't come up with the concept first! lol!  
**Notes**: This story replaces the end to episode five. So nothing happened to Annie and Mitchell, lol! It takes place the day after Mitchell leaves the others, so I hope you enjoy!

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**Chapter One: Ariana**

The house was completely silent, except for the occasional drop from the kitchen sink and passerby on the sidewalk. The owners sat complacent with one another. George was enthralled with an article in the newspaper while Annie and Mitchell sat cross-legged on the floor facing each other.

"Who's winning?" George broke the silence as he turned a page from the newspaper.

"I am," both Annie and Mitchell said confidently as they continued to stare at each other intently.

"Honestly, you two are children," George muttered.

"I intend to win this eye-staring contest even if it kills me," Annie said and giggled softly after having used that expression.

The sound of her light laugh brought a smile to Mitchell's face and he was going to comment back when George spoke out instead.

"But haven't you two already established the fact that blinking for vampires and ghosts is not necessary…you can do this till the end of time and get nowhere," George said in frustration and slammed his newspaper against his lap.

"And we also told you that we don't like distractions, now shush," Mitchell replied with a light slap to George's leg.

"Did you just hit me? Annie, he hit me," George whined.

Annie opened her mouth to give him words of comfort when a loud knock sounded on the door.

"Get it," both Annie and Mitchell said simultaneously again.

"Wha-, I…ugh," George felt insulted as he stood up. He walked over to the door and quickly turned back to Annie and Mitchell, "Since when have you two talked at the same time? Because I will let you know now, it is quite annoying." The door knocked again.

"Get the door George," Mitchell reiterated and pointed his arm to the door.

"Fine, fine, fine," George muttered under his breath, "Coming!" George opened the door.

"Hello George!" a happy voice called out to which George responded with an "Oh my God."

"Who is it?" Annie asked, her eyes never leaving Mitchell's.

George stood motionless by the door and Mitchell suspected something was wrong. He put his hands up to signal a time-out and helped Annie up from the floor.

They walked over to George and looked out onto the doorway. A young woman around her late 20s stood there. She had dark brown hair tied up loosely in a pony-tail, wore a canary yellow sweater over a royal blue tank top, and a jean skirt with candy-cane striped stockings. Her black boots showed extensive wear and weren't properly tied.

"George, who's this?" Mitchell asked and pointed a green gloved hand over to the girl.

"I'm his sister," the girl answered for her brother, "Older sister to be exact, by three years. The name's Ariana. Are you George's housemates?" she asked and stepped into the house.

"Your sister!" Annie said happily and clapped her hands together, "But she's a—"

"Ghost," George finished Annie's sentence, "You're a ghost?" he questioned.

"Well I didn't know you were a werewolf until a couple of days ago," she replied as she crossed her arms about her chest.

Mitchell closed the door to keep the conversation away from random passersby.

"You didn't know your sister was a ghost?" Mitchell asked as he entered the living area. Mitchell sat on the coffee table and Annie sat by his legs, George and Annie on the couch.

"She died a couple of months before I became a werewolf and when I did become one I ran away and made it look like I died too," George answered.

"And I thought you did!" Ariana laughed, "I was hoping you'd become a ghost like me, but then I figured since you had your life sorted an' all, you wouldn't have stuck around."

"So you're a ghost?" George asked again incredulously, "You've been a ghost for the past few years?"

"Girlie over here knows, unfinished business an' all," Ariana pointed over to Annie.

"How did you find out George was a werewolf?" Mitchell asked intrigued at the sibling interaction.

"I saw his ex-girlfriend walkin' around one day and I followed her over to her flat. Snooped around for a while and started to read her diary…fascinating stuff that was. Anyway, I saw a recent entry with George's name in it," she said as she pulled out a piece of paper from her yellow sweater.

"She wrote down that you were a werewolf and your sudden disappearance years ago made perfect sense. So I, of course, wanted nothing more than to see my dear younger brother…so here I am!" she finished and passed the ripped page from the diary over to George.

George stared at her wide-eyed and Ariana simply smiled, "Are you going to introduce me to your housemates now?" she said and punched him on the arm.

George winced, "You are such a pain, even after death!" he complained and then turned to Mitchell and Annie, "She tortured me when we were younger, possibly the worst sister a boy could ever have."

"Oh shove it, you know that's my way of showing affection," Ariana replied by ruffling his short hair.

Mitchell smiled and took the opportunity to introduce himself, "I'm Mitchell and this is Annie."

"A vampire and a ghost…are you two…" Ariana put her hands together to portray 'relationship,' but Annie clarified the situation.

"Oh no," she laughed lightly, "No, we're just friends," she pointed to herself and then Mitchell.

"Ahh," Ariana understood, but brought up the topic again, "Are you sure you two aren't because vampires and ghosts—"

"No," Mitchell was quick to answer, but then flashed a smile, "Please, tell us stories of George's childhood…I'm always up for a good laugh," he changed the subject.

Ariana let it go, for now, and recounted a couple of embarrassing stories that had Mitchell and Annie gasping for air, while George had his arms crossed about his chest in irritation.

"He literally peed on his pants, it was positively amazing," Ariana laughed out loud.

"Are we done yet? Have we all had a good and hearty laugh?" George said sarcastically and stood up to get his jacket.

"Oi, where are you going?" Ariana called out after him.

"I am going over to my girlfriend's because I am clearly not being appreciated here," George explained.

"I'll be here when you come back," Ariana sang and wiggled her fingers goodbye to him, "That is, if your friends want me to stay."

George saw Mitchell and Annie nod eagerly and he let his head drop, "Damn you…damn you all!" he said as he walked out of the house.

Mitchell took a last swig of his beer and looked at his watch, "I actually have to go and pick up a shift at the hospital for two hours or so. Can I leave you two girls alone?" he said as he too walked over to his jacket.

"Honestly, what do you take us for?" Annie replied with a hint of humor in her voice.

"Don't go throwin' any parties while I'm away," he joked and winked over at Annie, "I'll be back later."

"Be careful," Annie called out to him as he walked out of the house and closed the door behind him.

"I'm actually quite shocked," Ariana spoke up once Mitchell left.

Annie cocked her head to the side a bit, "Shocked about what?"

"You and Mitchell…I don't understand why you aren't together," Ariana answered as she sat forward and rested her arms on her knees.

"Why would we be together? We're completely different," Annie replied and shrugged her shoulders.

"You mean, he hasn't told you?" Ariana planted her head into her hand, her brow scrunched in confusion.

"Told me what?" Annie asked, intrigued at what Ariana had brought up.

"Vampires and ghosts are the ideal match. It actually didn't start off that way, mind you. Centuries ago, Vampires enslaved ghosts as sources of food," Ariana explained.

"Sources of food? Like blood? But we're dead, how can they feed on us?" Annie brought up a good question.

"You cry don't you? Fluid still runs down your cheeks, doesn't it? The same applies to blood. We're not alive in every sense of the word, but the 'ghost' anatomy allows for certain aspects to transcend over. That includes blood circulation and your ability to feel when others touch you. Here," she said as she took out a pocket knife from her yellow sweater, "Give yourself a tiny cut."

Annie took the knife hesitantly and flipped it open. She placed it over her finger and without a second thought she pushed the knife against her skin. She flinched slightly and marveled at the fact that blood started to flow out of her small wound.

"You see…one last trait of being human," Ariana commented and within seconds the cut healed completely, "Except for that part," she laughed, "That is why vampires used us long ago because we would just 'heal' back."

"But vampires don't uphold slavery anymore, do they?" Annie asked as she returned the knife to Ariana.

"No, actually, a couple of the vampires started to fall in love with their prey and a small war to abolish the slavery of ghosts took place sometime in the dark ages. In fact, I learned all of this from a vampire and ghost couple who still exist today."

"They survived all those centuries together?" Annie replied astonished.

Ariana nodded excitedly, "They actually introduced me to my late husband, who was a vampire himself," she said. It was then that Annie noticed the ring on Ariana's hand.

"What happened to him, if I may ask?" Annie lifted her knees up and wrapped her arms around them.

"He was killed by another vampire. I cried for days…weeks. I remember walking aimlessly for months on my own," Ariana answered and her eyes glazed over slightly.

"I'm sorry," Annie offered words of comfort.

Ariana shook her head and took a deep breath, "It's all in the past now," she laughed it off.

Annie smiled back and Ariana returned to the topic beforehand, "So, do you think you and Mitchell should give it a go?" Ariana said as she wiggled her eyebrows.

Annie laughed skeptically, "I-uh, Mitchell and I—," she started and blushed at the thought.

"Well, do you find him attractive?" Ariana nudged her on the shoulder gently.

"Very," Annie answered too quickly and covered her mouth in surprise.

Ariana giggled at Annie's cute gesture, "Is he kind to you?"

Annie buried her head in her knees, "All the time," she mumbled and then laughed at the newfound feelings Ariana was helping to uncover.

"What does he do?" Ariana pushed herself off the couch and sat on the floor to be at eye level with her.

"He listens to me when I need it the most, he buys coffee and tea because he knows that making it helps me feel normal, he makes me laugh…I love a man who can make me laugh," Annie spoke dreamily.

She stopped and looked at Ariana. She burst out laughing and Annie followed suit, "God you are head over heels," she commented.

"Nah, it's just a crush, but it's finally nice to have another woman to talk to…being stuck around those two tends to dull the mind," Annie replied as she scratched the back of her head.

"It's nice to have someone to talk to as well…I've just been wandering around from city to city for the past couple of months," Ariana informed her.

"Why do you think you're still here?" Annie asked her the ghost-related question.

"Who knows? I've fallen in love, I've had a family, I've done most things people wouldn't even imagine….and I'm still here. What about you?"

"Well, I found out my ex-fiancé killed me and I managed to scare the shit out of him after a bit of hard work with Mitchell and George, but I'm still here," Annie shrugged her shoulders.

"Christ…well at least he got his just rewards," Ariana stood up from the floor and stretched, "Could I get some water?" she asked as she started to walk over to the kitchen.

"Yeah sure, the glasses are in—" and that's when it hit her, "You can drink?"

"And eat, but I'm not hungry at the moment," Ariana looked into the cupboard and pulled out a glass.

Annie followed her into the kitchen, "How?"

"A lot of concentration, patience, and practice," she said as she filled her cup from the faucet and drank in front of Annie.

Annie stared in wonder and Ariana continued, "Can people see you right now?"

"Yeah," Annie nodded and walked over to the counter.

"Good, that's the first step. You can't lose confidence in yourself or else you become transparent to others. The more confident, the more solid you become. Next is feeling a sense of importance, which often comes from having friends…and a significant other," Ariana eyed her, "And this is where Mitchell plays a role."

"Does he have to play one?" Annie asked honestly.

"Why are you afraid of acting on your feelings?" Ariana jumped on the counter and swung her legs out.

"Because we already have a good thing as friends and I'd hate to ruin that if he doesn't return what I feel," Annie gathered up the courage to say.

"Then you'll never drink or eat," Ariana stated matter-of-factly.

"There has to be another way," Annie grabbed her cup of water and looked at it.

"Nope…you see, the overwhelming feelings you get when you know you mean so much more to another person are key to full solidity. Without that, you're only half there. I learned that with Mark," she said and Annie looked at her in confusion, "My late husband, his name was Mark. He knew a lot about ghosts and their potential. We're not just wandering spirits; we are capable of so much more…"

"What I would give for a slice of pizza," Annie stared off into space.

"Ask Mitchell out on a date and see where it goes," Ariana persisted.

"I'm not his type…it'd be too awkward," Annie walked over to the table and without thinking sat in his seat.

"Stop giving yourself excuses…what you are now is your second chance at life, to make amends for what you didn't do while you were alive," Ariana jumped off the counter and went to kneel in front of her, "And maybe one day you can have that slice of pizza. Just give it a chance," she begged.

Annie gave her a skeptical look and Ariana grabbed her hands, "I like you Annie, you have to be one of the most sweetest beings I've met since my death and since you're a close friend of George, I just want you to have what I had with Mark…to know how to love and truly be loved in return. I've always been selfish and careless, but never have I wanted to help someone like you before."

Annie considered her options quickly in her mind and swallowed heavily before she looked back down at Ariana, "Okay."

Ariana clapped her hands together, "So you're going to do it? You're going to give yourself this chance and ask him out?"

Annie took a deep breath, "Yes!" she said confidently.

"I'm so excited you're going to do it!" Ariana exclaimed.

"Do what?" a voice drifted from the kitchen doorway. Ariana jumped to her feet and so did Annie as they saw Mitchell standing at the doorway.

"You're back early!" Annie said a bit too high and Ariana nudged her arm slightly.

"The person who originally left the shift came back, so I stopped by the market and bought you some tea," Mitchell said as he pulled out the contents from the grocery bag.

He went to put it in the cupboard and Ariana mouthed an 'awww' at Annie, "Well, now, I am going to go into George's room….and like any older sister, I'm going to rifle through his things," she said mischievously and disappeared from the kitchen.

"What did you and Ariana talk about after I left?" Mitchell asked as he turned back to lean against the counter.

Annie swallowed heavily again and cleared her throat before she finally answered, "We, uh, talked about ghost stuff. Like reasons why she's still around and why I'm still around."

"It must be nice to have another girl to talk to, I imagine," Mitchell smiled as he opened the fridge to retrieve a beer.

"Yeah, she's really sweet," Annie commented and her mouth grew dry in her anxiety.

"Reminds me of my younger sister," Mitchell stated as he leaned against the fridge door.

"You had a younger sister?" Annie asked curiously.

"Yeah, all the men sought after her," he smiled and reminisced, but then turned serious, "She died though a couple of years before I left for the war. Influenza."

"Oh…I'm sorry," Annie took a step forward, but held herself back.

He shrugged and took another sip from his beer, "No worries," he said and smiled at her.

She smiled back and then felt queasy at the idea of asking him out right after he talked about his sister's death, "Mitchell, I'll be right back," she said and disappeared before he could say anything.

Annie appeared in George's room where Ariana was looking through his drawer, "I can't do it," she said.

"What are you blabbering about?" Ariana asked without turning around.

"I can't ask him…we started talking about how sweet you were and how you reminded him of his dead sister. I couldn't do right after that! 'Yeah my sister died', 'Oh that's so sad, would you like to talk about it more during dinner Friday night?'" she imitated him and herself.

"He's probably forgotten the conversation by now…just go back down there and talk about kittens or something," she said as she switched George's clothes from one drawer to the other.

"Okay," Annie whispered to herself and took a deep breath before she disappeared to pop up in the kitchen.

"Everything okay?" Mitchell asked from the table behind her.

She turned around, a bit startled, but covered it up with a small laugh, "Grand! Everything's grand."

She took the seat opposite of him and bit her nails as she focused on a spot on the table.

"Annie?" Mitchell grabbed her hand and pulled it away from her mouth, "Why are you nervous?"

"I'm not nervous," she smiled at him.

"You bite your nails when you're nervous," he stated, his hand still wrapped around her wrist.

She slumped her head in defeat, '_The man knows me too well_' she thought to herself, "Mitchell…" she started as she looked back up to him.

"Would you…I mean, would it be…" she stumbled over her words and felt her cheeks grow hot under his intense stare.

'_Out with it already!'_ She told herself, "Would you like to have dinner with me sometime…in the evening, when dinner usually takes place…at night?" she let out awkwardly, but managed to get the point across.

"As in a date?" he clarified and she nodded slowly.

"It's alright if you don't want to, or if you're too busy, I mean…don't worry about it…"

"I'd love to."

"….It's nothing important, you can forget I asked if you don't want to—" and she stopped her rambling when she saw the giant smile on his face.

"Annie, I'd love to go out with you," he reiterated, a slight blush on his cheeks.

"Really? I mean, you don't have a bet going on with George or anything and that's why you said yes," Annie couldn't register his answer.

"No, no bet with George," he laughed, "I really want to go out with you."

"Is tonight okay?" she asked in a soft voice, "If you're not too busy," she quickly added.

"Tonight is fine," he nodded and continued to smile at her.

Annie licked her lips and nodded herself, "Eight?"

"Eight's fine," he said happily.

"Cool," she whispered and mentally hit herself for sounding like a teenager, "I'm gonna go find Ariana….Um, I'll see you later?" she cocked her head to the side and felt the extreme warmth emanating from his hand over hers.

"Yeah, I'll see you later," he said with a smirk and with that Annie disappeared, his hand fell on the table and he inwardly missed the warmth from her hand.

Tbc!

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Hope you liked! Leave me a review! :)


	2. Chapter 2: Confessions

**Notes**: I'm back! :) Thanks so much to everyone who left me a review! I really appreciated them! They made me happy! I hope you like this next chapter! I have planned one more chapter *thinks about the plot for a second* Yeah, one more chapter that'll cover the date, an unexpected vampire appearance, and more confessions! Enjoy this one until then and let me know what you think! :)

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**Chapter Two: Confessions**

"I did it, we're going out tonight!" Annie yelled out the moment she appeared in George's room. She lifted her hands up in the air and then bowed down as if she had just finished a musical performance.

"Oh my God!" Ariana shot up from George's bed, "I am so proud! You are following in my footsteps!" she clapped while she rested comfortably on his bed.

"I thought I was going to die all over again down there," Annie laughed lightly as she fanned her face.

"I remember when I first saw Mark…I tripped coming down the stairs, would have broken my neck again!" Ariana smacked her forehead in embarrassment.

Annie sat down on the window sill and calmed her nerves. The fact that Ariana said 'break my neck again' struck some curiosity within her, "How did you die?" Annie asked softly.

"Car crash…broke my neck on impact," Ariana answered, "It was quite bizarre actually…I saw myself dead in the car, blood spilling out everywhere. Scared out of mind…"

Annie took in her words and visually pictured the scene herself, she mentally saw the blood and then it dawned on her, "Oh my God…" Annie said.

"I know, it was a bit gory," Ariana stated.

"No, I mean, blood…Mitchell….blood! What have I done?" Annie covered her face in worry and Ariana scrunched her forehead in confusion.

"What are you on?" she asked as the got up from the bed, "I thought you were happy about asking him out."

"I am! But, couldn't I potentially take him off the wagon? He told me that it was hard to keep intimacy and his vampirism separate some of the time."

"He's on the wagon?" Ariana asked incredulously, "How is that even possible?"

"He doesn't want to kill anyone, so he's been abstaining," Annie explained.

"Abstaining?" Ariana replied as walked over to George's closet, "Annie, Mitchell cannot escape what he is. He can't avoid it and he can't hide from it. He has to drink blood…it's in his nature, in his very being. If he holds it in, it will only get worse in the end. Mind you, vampires don't have to drink often…once a week sustains them till the next. How long has he been off it?" she asked curiously as she organized George's closet.

"A couple of months, maybe…I think he was cheating a few times with other vampires, but he's tried to stay clean," Annie informed her.

"I admire his efforts, really I do. He has very noble intentions and I have much respect for him, even with the little time I've known him…but Annie, he needs this. Yes, it's an addiction, but unlike a reformed cocaine addict, Mitchell cannot stop his need for blood. It would be like trying to stop the world from turning or the day turning into night…it can't be done. That is why ghosts play a very big role to those vampires who choose to be good…Mitchell is very rare and deserves someone like you," she finished and bent down to line up George's shoes.

Annie was amazed at how much George's sister knew about vampires. She swallowed heavily and asked another question, "Does it hurt?"

"Does what hurt?" Ariana struggled to say as half of her body was hidden beneath the bed.

"When they drink…does it hurt?" she clarified.

Ariana crawled back out from under the bed and pulled out a couple of dust balls from her hair, "At first it does, but like anything else, you adapt and get accustomed to it. Actually, if he does it during sex it could be quite pleasurable," Ariana said with a dreamy expression on her face. Annie blushed furiously and shook those thoughts from her head.

She went over and removed a piece of dust from Ariana's shoulder, "What are you doing?"

"When I was younger I used to dirty up George's room and get him into trouble with our mother, but I thought I should make amends now," she shrugged her shoulders, "Did you know that he has this hideously black shirt with orange roses?"

Annie laughed, "I thought he was going to return that monstrosity."

"Well the monstrosity is at the very end in his closet where it will never see the light of day," Ariana said and made Annie laugh a bit more.

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Mitchell sat at the kitchen table and replayed the last five minutes over and over again in his head. Annie nervous, Annie blushing, Annie asking him out, Annie being human…Annie.

The more he thought about her, the more he felt anxious. Should he have said yes? Shouldn't he have given it more thought? He pulled out his mobile and scrolled down to the one name who could counsel him through this.

"George?" he spoke as he stood up and walked to open the back door. He walked through and stuck to the shade.

"What's up Mitchell? Ariana driving you insane yet because she is well-known for it," he mocked his friend from the other end of the line.

"No actually she's more tolerable than her other half," Mitchell joked and George sounded insulted.

"I see where your loyalties lie now," George teased and chuckled.

"Alright, alright, be serious for one moment," Mitchell pleaded with his best friend. George scratched his throat and told Mitchell to continue, "…Annie and I are going out for dinner tonight."

"Annie? Our Annie?" George asked with a high pitched voice.

"No, Annie from the musical…of course, our Annie," Mitchell replied.

"Okay, firstly, Annie from the musical is way too young for you and secondly, what? You and Annie going out? For dinner? Dinner that she cannot eat…Why are you two going out?"

"She asked me and I said yes," Mitchell answered honestly.

"Did you say yes on impulse or did you really say yes because you wanted to?" George asked sincerely.

"Yes because I wanted to," Mitchell spoke softly.

Silence fell over the phone line and then George yelled out, "I KNEW IT! I knew you liked Annie from day one! I just knew it!" he laughed.

"Yes, I like Annie…a lot. But do you think I should go out with her?" Mitchell second-guessed himself.

"Well you can't tell her no, now! That's just heartless! Give a girl hope and then crush it…" he said and then Mitchell heard "You should know" from Nina in the background. George shushed her quickly and then kissed her for the rude act of shushing her.

Mitchell smiled slightly, but then became serious, "Honestly George, you know my past…you know that the first woman I ever loved after I became a vampire was a ghost and she crossed over…"

"…and you became ruthless because she broke your heart…yes, I remember what you told me. You're afraid of falling for Annie and then lose her when the time comes for her to—," he stopped because Nina was still nearby, "Go to Switzerland?" he substituted.

"Nice catch," Mitchell complimented him and at the same time considered his words carefully.

"The question is will you hurt her?" George whispered, "Because if you do Mitchell I swear—" his brotherly love for Annie taking over.

"I wouldn't do that to her, you know that," Mitchell answered quickly to George's reference of biting her, "The last thing I want is to have her think I'm a monster."

Another few moments of silence and then George spoke again, "I don't know Mitchell…you say you don't want to fall in love with her, but it sounds like you already have. And I've seen the way you two act together…two fools waiting on the other one to act first," George stated wisely. He may have been rubbish at forming his own relationship with Nina, but he did understand the poetry behind relationships…no matter how much he and Annie mocked him for it.

"Am I right though?" George asked randomly.

"Right about what?"

"That you're afraid of falling in love with her and scared out of your mind that she'll pick 'Switzerland' over you," George reiterated quickly.

Mitchell stayed silent and then it hit George like a ton of bricks, "God…you've already fallen for her…" he whispered. Mitchell closed his eyes and dropped his head against his chest, "Earlier when you said 'I like her a lot' that was only half true, you're actually in love with her. You're already drowning and you're barely in the deep end," George stated.

"I have to go," Mitchell said dryly, but George stopped him.

"Wait Mitchell! You called me for advice…I'm sorry, I shouldn't have intruded like that," he said earnestly, "Go out with her and at the end of it, talk with her. Find out her intentions and let her know how you feel."

Mitchell nodded and cleared his throat, "Thanks George, never thought I'd need dating advice from you," he joked to break from the serious mood.

"I know, weird isn't it? Since I am all-knowing now, do you require anymore of my services, plebian?" George spoke highly of himself.

"Yeah, can you put the real George on the phone because the one I'm talking to right now is a real arse," Mitchell laughed.

"Oh, I am feelin' the love," George said sarcastically.

"Alright, I'll talk to you later," Mitchell walked back inside to the kitchen

"Yup, have fun tonight," and with that George hung up and Mitchell sighed. He looked down at himself and inwardly agreed with himself…he definitely needed a change of clothes before tonight.

Mitchell walked up the stairs and walked into his room to get a towel and fresh clothes. He walked over to the bathroom and passed by George's room. With the door semi-open, he knocked and found the two women in the room.

"What are you doing in George's room?" he asked with a smile as he leaned on the doorway.

"Ariana is cleaning up for him and I thought I'd keep her company," Annie explained from the window sill.

"Hello Mitchell!" Ariana sang out from the bottom of the bed. He saw a hand pop out and wave at him, "I hear Annie has a hot date tonight, don't you Annie?"

Annie laughed in embarrassment, "Oh yeah?" she heard Mitchell play along, "Who's the lucky man?" He winked over at Annie and she bit her bottom lip, the attention too much for her to bear.

"Some vampire, I think…you might know him…she described his as tall, dark, and handsome," Ariana said as she rolled out from under the bed.

"I did not!" Annie defended herself and Mitchell laughed heartily.

Ariana did an exaggerated nod and mouthed the words, "Yes she did."

Mitchell took a couple of steps back to try to save Annie from anymore humiliation, "Alright, I'm gonna go and take a shower. See you girls later," he said as he tried to not laugh at how entertaining George's sister could be.

"Later," the two women called back.

Annie turned to Ariana the moment he left the room, "You, missy, are too much!" Annie laughed out.

"Oh you loved every moment of it, I'm sure," Ariana dusted herself off, "But I do think I should get going…"

"Going? So soon?" Annie stood up from the window sill and approached Ariana.

"Not far, I just want to find George and his new girlfriend. Do you happen to know where she lives?" she said mischievously.

Annie grabbed a piece of paper and pen from George's drawer and wrote down the address.

"Oh that's not far," Ariana said as she tucked the sheet inside her sweater pocket, "You don't mind if I leave you, do you?"

"No, no…go see George! I'll just watch the tellie," she replied and dug her hands into her pockets.

"You, girlie…have fun on your date tonight!" Ariana gave her a hug.

"I will thanks to you. Have fun bothering George!"

"Will do!" Ariana saluted her and disappeared.

Annie decided to walk to the kitchen rather than just appear there automatically. She went over to the cupboard and pulled out the tea that Mitchell had bought for her. She started to prepare some as part of her routine and thought back on the day's events.

The things she learned about ghosts and vampires from Ariana intrigued her, but she was sorely disappointed that Mitchell hadn't discussed any of it with her. She took a sip of the tea and continued to let her mind wander. Ariana was definitely a handful, but she had good intentions. As much as she loved talking to Mitchell and George, she enjoyed her conversations with Ariana. Girl talk was so hard to come by and with that she took another sip of her tea.

"Annie!" Mitchell called out from the kitchen entrance. His hair was wet and a few pieces clung to the sides of his face. He wore a white t-shirt under a black hoodie with jeans…the usual for Mitchell.

She snapped out of her reverie, not sure how long she was actually standing by the counter; long enough apparently, since Mitchell finished his shower.

He approached her and pointed to the cup, "You're drinking!" Confused, she looked down at the mug in her hand and it was half done.

She laughed and took another sip from the cup, astonished that none of it fell right through her, "You're fully solid," he stated happily. Of course a vampire of his age knew that full solidity meant Annie had come to feel important…loved, if you will, by someone else. He had an inkling that he had something to do with it, but pushed it away.

"Ariana taught me how, but I didn't think it would work," Annie said as she walked over to the fridge and opened it.

She grabbed a bottle of beer, snapped the top open and took a swig of it, "My God it works!" she laughed.

"I didn't know you liked beer," Mitchell commented as he enjoyed watching Annie enjoy certain aspects of being human.

"I don't, but it's the only other thing to drink in here," she hiccupped and thought it best to put the bottle back inside the fridge.

She closed the fridge and turned back to him. On impulse, he grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the kitchen.

"Where are we going? It's only 6 o'clock," Annie informed him as he put on his jacket.

"I thought about it in the shower and figured that after the confrontation we had with Herrick yesterday, we should leave and return a bit early," Annie agreed that that was a good idea and mentioned that they and George should talk about that later in the evening.

"But, do you want to go to the fair that opened up last weekend?" he asked her excitedly like a little kid given permission to go to the park.

"A fair! I haven't been to one of those for ages!" Annie replied just as excitedly with a clap.

"Then our date has officially started," he said as he opened the door and the two walked out hand-in-hand.

------

George and Nina spent most of the day watching old movies that, ironically, included Casablanca. When the scene of a moving chair appeared, George laughed out loud and Nina stared at him oddly. He was saved from having to explain his random outburst when the doorbell rang.

"I wonder who that is," Nina muttered as she walked up to the door.

George had his eyes fixated on the television screen when he heard her voice, "Hello! I'm George's older sister, by three years to be exact. You must be his girlfriend!"

"Oh bloody hell," George whispered and ran to the door, "What are you doing here?" he spat out.

"George that is no way to speak to your sister!" Nina reprimanded him and let Ariana walk in, "I'm Nina."

"Ariana," she said and shook hands with her.

"I didn't know George had a sister," Nina said and pointed her over to the couch.

"Yup, just lil' ol' me!" Ariana sat down, "I'm actually terminally ill," she lied. George scoffed as he crossed his arms about his chest.

"Oh you poor dear, what do you have?" Nina asked as she sat next to her.

"What do I have George?" Ariana scratched her head and put the spotlight on her little brother.

"I—um…brain cancer," he thought up of immediately, "Which explains why she's a bit wonko, so if she says anything weird, just ignore her!" he laughed nervously.

"How long do you have?" Nina said concerned, her medical side taking over.

"A few days, a few weeks, who knows?!" Ariana feigned hurt and when Nina looked down at her lap, she stuck out her tongue at George playfully.

"Do you want something to drink or eat?" Nina stood up to go to the kitchen.

"I'd love some root beer, if you have any!"

"Oh no, I don't…but I'm sure George won't mind and walk over to the corner store to buy you some," Nina said hopefully.

"No, George minds," he said carelessly and then Nina gave him a glare, "Alright! I'll go and get your damn root beer!" He got his jacket and Nina went to hers to fetch some money. He took this chance and approached Ariana, "I swear, if I come back and you've caused any trouble—"

"You're such a worrywart…now, go, please get me my root beer before I die of my brain cancer," she said as Nina came back and gave him a few pounds, "Can you also buy me some milk?" Nina asked.

"Anything for you," he said sincerely and quickly pecked her on the lips. After he left, Nina turned back to her guest.

"Don't tell George I said this, but I'm glad he's finally found someone. He always found intimacy a hard topic to relate to," Ariana said as she took a handful of popcorn from the bowl on the coffee table.

"I do love being with him," Nina said dreamily as she took a seat on the couch again.

"It must be hard though with his condition, turning into a werewolf and all," Ariana said as she packed her mouth with popcorn.

Nina shook her head and then it finally registered, "Hang on…a werewolf?" she said confused.

"Yeah, a…werewolf…Wait, you don't know?" Ariana said as she realized her mistake. This is why George used to hate having her around…she could never keep her mouth shut.

"A werewolf? George is a werewolf?" Nina said in a high-pitched voice.

"Oh God, no, no, no, George is going to kill me….Forget that I said anything, George is nothing. He's just an ordinary guy," Ariana tried to cover up and stood up in anxiety.

Nina stood up as well and a few silent moments passed before Nina spoke up again, "Are you a…a werewolf?"

Ariana looked at her and she didn't seem as frightened or horrified like any other girl. Maybe this was a good things for George's relationship, "No…actually, I'm a ghost," she answered honestly.

Nina laughed nervously, "It must be the brain cancer, George said you'd say wild things," she tried to reasons with herself.

"No, I'm really a ghost," Ariana reiterated and disappeared to appear next to her, "See?"

Nina jumped back and asked what seemed to be the normal question to ask to a ghost, "Why can I see you?"

"That's a different story for another day, but what's important right now are your feelings towards George. Please don't tell me you are going to break up with him," Ariana pleaded with her, "I really thought you knew what he is—," and at that moment George walked through the door. He was breathing heavily as if he ran there and back.

"I really do love the fact that you have a corner store, right there," George commented as he put the bag of milk and root beer on the couch. He took off his coat and laid it neatly on the back of the couch.

He looked up at Nina and Ariana, who were looking back at him intently. He cocked his head to the side a bit and tried to analyze why they seemed so tense.

"So! Have you kept up with football, George?" Ariana asked to start up a conversation, but George knew her all to well. He looked at Nina and she had a forced smile on her face.

"Did you tell her anything?!" George demanded from Ariana and then spoke to softly to Nina, "Did she tell you anything because if she did, it's all a lie…" he approached her and grabbed her hands.

Nina looked at Ariana and George's sister pleaded with her to not say anything, "I'm sorry Ariana, but if I want to work this out with George we need to talk about it," she said honestly.

"Talk about—talk about what?" George said nervously as he pushed back his glasses again. Ariana held her breath and dug her hands into pockets of her yellow sweater.

"Ariana didn't mean to George, but she said that you're a…werewolf?" His whole world crashed in an instant. He tried to ignore the fact that that word came out of her mouth.

"A werewolf?" he laughed uneasily, "That's—those aren't real…Ha! Yeah, no, no, she clearly made that up!" he tried to remain calm, but miserably failed as sweat developed on his brow.

"George, as weird as this may sound to you, I am not scared. You can tell me the truth…I did," she referred to her permanent burn scar around her waist. Nina's hands traveled up to his face and covered his cheeks.

His eyes started to tear up because this wasn't the way he wanted her to find out. He had Ariana to blame…and that was the last straw. He turned to Ariana with a fierce glare in his eyes, "I want you to get out of my life," his anger took over.

"George she didn't mean to tell me," Nina reiterated and placed a hand on his arm.

He shook his head and kindly ignored her, "No, this is it…you have been a thorn on my side and I'm tired of it. You nearly ruined the only thing pure I have on this earth and I can't take it anymore!" he said spat out

A tear rolled down Ariana's face and she gave a firm nod, "I'm sorry," she said in a cracked voice, "I thought she knew—"

"That! That is your problem Ari! You assume you know everything! And on top of that, you never shut up! You should have just died when you did!" He yelled and he didn't care whether Nina knew she was a ghost or not.

Another tear rolled down Ariana's cheek and with that she disappeared.

"George!" Nina pushed him to the side to look at her, "How could you say that!"

"You don't know her Nina. She's selfish and only looks after herself," George threw himself on the couch, yanked his glasses off and rubbed his eyes.

"That still doesn't justify the fact that you yelled at her," Nina kneeled in front of him, "I know you didn't want me to know about your secret, but I'm glad she told me," she whispered.

"Now you'll look at me differently," he confessed and buried his face in his hands.

Nina pushed his hands away and held his face, "Is that why you were trying to keep it hidden from me?"

He nodded and she laughed lightly, "George, I don't care if you're growing tentacles out of your ears! I like you, for you! I don't want us to keep secrets anymore," Nina rubbed the bottom of his eyes with her thumbs. She brought him down to her level and kissed him on the lips.

"Now I want you to go find Ariana and apologize to her….or no sex for you Mister," she commanded and George smiled at her…maybe her knowing what he is wasn't so bad after all.

Tbc!


	3. Chapter 3: Goodbye and Hello

**Notes**: Here it is! The last chapter! Also, while writing this chapter I was thinking, "Are fairs in the UK the same as fairs in the US?" I tried to do some research, but nothing came up. I'd love to know how fairs are like in the UK, so I hope my UK readers will let me know : ) Also, **did any of you see Episode 6??? **It was EPIC! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this last installment! Leave a comment! : )

* * *

**Chapter Three: Goodbye and Hello**

To be honest, when Annie first met Mitchell a couple of months back, she never thought that she'd confide in him and see something bloom out of their friendship. From the very beginning she wanted Owen…needed Owen…all she saw was Owen. After finding out that the object of her affection was actually her murderer, she had lost that one way vision. When she thought she had reached a dead end, she saw a hand stretch out before her…and that was Mitchell. He understood her and had come to care for her. So, in her own little corners of the mind and heart she started to develop feelings…feelings that she expertly masked behind small things like staring contests and card games. If it weren't for Ariana, those feelings would have continued to stay hidden in the deep recesses of her ghostly anatomy.

As Annie and Mitchell walked down the street, the fact that his hand was interlocked with hers never left her mind. She kept looking down at their joined hands and had to bite down on her lip to not squeal out loud. Owen used to hate holding her hand in public, but she was always one for physical contact.

Mitchell glanced over at her and saw that her eyes were directed down toward their hands. He looked up quickly and turned away from her to sneak his own smile. In his lifetime he came to intimately know several women and most have come and gone. His relationships always started with attraction, turned into lust, and ended in heartbreak…or death. Of all those, three women stand out. Rachel, the ghost he had told George about; Josie, who he recently met up with and now had lung cancer….and Annie. If Annie was an expert at hiding her feelings for him, then Mitchell was the master of keeping things well hidden. He often ignored his feelings for her and pushed her into the view of other men, like Gilbert. He also distracted himself with other women, Lauren being one of them. But all along he wanted nothing more than to pursue something with her and at the moment nothing made him happier than to know that she wanted something more as well.

Mitchell turned his attention back to her and gripped her hand a bit more. He nudged her shoulder lightly, "See something you like?"

Annie looked up at his brown eyes and nudged him back, "Something I can get used to," she answered honestly and she wondered whether he got the hint that she wanted more from this.

"I think I can get used to this too," he smirked as he answered back. She bit her bottom lip again and walked the rest of the way together silently.

They eventually rounded the street corner and saw a throng of people flood in and out of the center square, where the fair was being held. It was a yearly activity that brought in revenue for charities and churches, so Mitchell was more than happy to contribute.

Annie was just as happy. Children with balloons buzzed through the crowd, while the adults themselves also regressed to their younger years. In one corner she saw a brightly lit carousel with all kinds of creatures and a candy floss machine, which had a long line of customers. At the center was a portable Ferris wheel, which was also brightly lit in the twilight sky. Along the other side of the square stood several stands full of mini-games; her favorite being the water gun stand, where the first contestant to reach the top won a prize. In the distance she also heard the sound of dodgem cars and that made her clap, "They have dodgem cars here!"

"I take it you want to go there first," he wiggled his eyebrows and pulled her towards the ticketing booth, "I have to warn you though that I am a brilliant driver," Mitchell joked with her as he purchased two booklets of tickets.

They moved out of the line and then he held the two booklets up by his face, "Do you Annie accept this as your mission to have fun with your date, John Mitchell? If you do not accept, they will explode in 5 seconds…4…3…"

She laughed as he tried to make it sound like a James Bond film, "I accept!" She took a booklet for herself.

"The mission is a go!" he continued his James Bond persona and with his hands on her waist he steered her over to the dodgem cars section.

After they stood on the line for a couple of minutes, Annie chose a bright red car and Mitchell chose a yellow one right in front of her. The dodgems attendant announced the starting words and Annie didn't hesitate to press on the gas pedal. The moment the electricity surged into the cars, Annie bumped straight into Mitchell and the two laughed excitedly.

She bumped into him again and placed a hand by her mouth to call out to him, "Get this wanker out of my way!" she laughed and he stuck out his tongue at her. She moved out to her left and cut him off, for which she received a bump from Mitchell. They moved around in circles and bumped into the other players several times, laughter everywhere. After the cars came to a stop, Mitchell got out of his car and helped Annie unfasten her seatbelt.

They giggled their way out of the dodgem cars and Mitchell went back to holding her hand, "Where to next?" he asked her.

"I want to go....to that one!" she pointed over to the Top Spin, a thrill ride that lifts its passengers up and turns them over in the air in several loops.

He heard several people scream as they hung upside down for several seconds before the machine dropped them back down in one swift motion, "You're going to be the death of me," he muttered jokingly and she pulled him over to the ride.

The pace of the line went by quickly and both Annie and Mitchell took a seat in the front row. The overhead seatbelts came down on them and Mitchell let out a gasp of air in anxiety.

"Is this your first time?" Annie asked him over her seatbelt.

"Is it obvious?" he said as he rubbed his hands together.

She managed to grab his hand and reassured him that it would all be okay when the bottom platform descended and they were lifted up into the air.

Annie heard several curse words spill out from Mitchell's Irish mouth and she couldn't help but laugh till breathing became impossible.

After the last loop and the seatbelts went up, Mitchell looked like the life was drained out of him. Annie laughed a bit more as she pulled him up and out of the ride. They stepped off to the side and she lifted her hands up to warm up his cheeks, "A vampire afraid of thrill rides! Never thought I'd see the day," she giggled as she pushed his hair back behind his ears.

He regained his smile at the sense of her touch, "We're not completely fazed by everything, y'know," he reminded her.

"Mmm, yes, where to next 'heart of a lion'?" she mocked him and squeezed his cheeks lightly.

He grabbed her wrists and gently pulled her hands down to his chest while he looked around the area. He spotted the candy floss machine and at the sight his taste buds started to crave for the fluffy candy. Mitchell turned back to her and surreptitiously interlocked his green-gloved hands with hers as he spoke, "Do you want to put solid foods to the test?"

"What do you have in mind?" she lifted an eyebrow in curiosity.

"You have to close your eyes first," he said with a silly grin. She laughed and did as he commanded, "I'll be right back!" and made a dash for the candy floss machine while there wasn't a line. He purchased a stick of the pink fluffy material and walked over to Annie.

He made sure her eyes were still closed…a giant smile plastered on her face, "Okay," he started, "Open your mouth." Mitchell stuck a piece into her mouth and she felt the material dissolve the moment it touched her tongue, as candy floss should. She opened her eyes and laughed at the fact that she had tasted her piece of food since she died.

"It's candy floss! I haven't had candy floss since I was little," she laughed some more and grabbed another piece. He laughed with her and slipped his arm around her shoulder while she continued to eat. They walked together in that position around the center square. Several fair photographers approached them, but they kindly turned them down due to the inability to capture Mitchell's image.

Mitchell popped in a piece of the candy floss while they stopped at a sharpshooter stand. Several chaps stood by the counter and admired one man who was shooting at the moving targets. The announcer pointed to a fluffy gray bear as the main prize and apparently each contestant came one or two targets short of the win.

Annie pointed over to the bear, "That looks exactly like the bear I had as a child! My sister tore its head off when we were fighting over it…one of the most traumatic experiences of my life! She had me crying for days!" she laughed slightly and Mitchell loved how she would go off on tangents sometimes.

"Do you want it?" Mitchell asked as he approached the stand with Annie still under his arm.

The man before him had given up after two tries, "Look out for that last target," he passed on as advice.

"No, it's alright Mitchell, they often rig these games. It's not worth it," she spoke softly as he removed his arm and paid the announcer.

He leaned down closer to her ear and whispered, "Vampire sight has its advantages," and she smacked him gently on the shoulder, as a form of chastisement for slightly cheating.

He laughed lightly and took up the shotgun, which he positioned against his shoulder and focused through the sights onto the targets. He waited for the go ahead and analyzed the position of each target. Some moved horizontally while others moved up and down. Others were attached to wheels that moved around in circles and the last target was in the far right came out of a compartment at a fast speed in odd intervals.

As instructed he shot down three moving horizontally, three moving up and down, and three moving around in circles. Each shot hit the center of the small targets and with each successful hit, Annie cheered him on. With the gun firmly against his shoulder he turned to the right and waited for the last target to appear from the small compartment. He took slow breaths and focused on the point. With his eyes he saw the doors open slowly and with one swift movement, he pulled the trigger and pushed the target back into its place.

An alarm sounded off and men clapped and cheered excitedly. He laughed out loud, turned to Annie eagerly and she embraced him. Several men patted him on the back as they were astounded at the fact that he got that impossibly fast target.

The announcer approached them, "It's about time someone won this bloody bear. Congratulations mate, I suppose it's for your girlfriend here," he said and passed it to Annie.

The two blushed at the mention of 'girlfriend,' but the man dismissed them before they could correct him.

"Thank you Mitchell," Annie smiled as she looked down at the bear, which matched her everyday outfit.

"It was noth—," he started, but Annie interrupted him with a chaste kiss on the cheek. The last time they had shared something that remotely resembled a kiss was when Tully upset her. It was something the two occasionally thought about when they were in their own worlds…and now they had something else to add to that.

"Can we try another shooting game?" Annie asked as she placed the bear under one arm and held his hand with the other.

"Sure, but I don't know if you can measure up to my greatness," Mitchell dismissed the butterfly feelings from Annie's kiss and resumed his down-to-earth charisma.

"We will have to see won't we, oh great one!" Annie laughed at his smugness and pulled him over to her favorite stand…the water guns.

Some others already occupied the round stools by the counter and Annie and Mitchell took the remaining two seats at the end, numbers 14 and 15. They paid the attendant and took hold of the small water guns. The objective was to hit the center of the target with water pressure, which then moved a stuffed animal up to the top…the first one to reach the top won the game.

Mitchell kept tickling her side while the attendant readied the other stations as a form of distraction. In return, she kept moving his gun to the side to miss the target.

"On your mark, get set…" the attendant started and the distractions ceased, but not before Annie stuck her tongue out at him, "Go!" The water shot out of the guns immediately and the first few seconds were crucial in getting the center of the target. The row of stuffed animals raced to the top as the contestants kept shooting water.

Another alarm sounded off as the first stuffed animal made it to the top, "And the winner is number 14!"

"HA! I won! I won!" Annie turned to Mitchell and rubbed it in his face. She pulled up the gun to her mouth and blew the end of it, "I am too good!" she said and Mitchell couldn't help but laugh at her actions. He truly did adore her fun and bubbly personality and hearing her laugh made him laugh as well.

The attendant asked which prize she preferred and she chose a small monkey. The hands had Velcro and so she went over to Mitchell and wrapped its arms around his neck. "That is my present to you," she said and took a step back to see the monkey dangle from his neck.

She burst out laughing at the sight and he approached her to tickle her sides as punishment. He laughed with her and ceased the tickling by leaving his arms around her waist. Her arms were around his neck, her bear held tightly behind him. They swayed from side to side several times to avoid falling.

They looked at one another intently as if committing to memory each other's features. Annie brought around the hand that didn't hold the bear and gently caressed his stubbly cheek. She remembered how she told him to not shave one morning because the stubble looked good on him and he hardly ever shaved since then. Mitchell swallowed before he slowly leaned as if testing the waters.

His senses were in overload…he only saw, smelled, and felt Annie. If he had a heartbeat it would race at some unimaginable speed. Part of him told him to get away before his instinct as a vampire kicked in. The other part of him wanted nothing more than to taste her, than to feel her cold lips caress his back.

He stopped millimeters away from her lips when a crackling sound shot out from above them. They looked up and saw streaks of gold lights scattered across the night sky…fireworks.

Mitchell looked back down and saw that other people had stopped in their tracks to observe the display in the sky as well. The sound had caused him to snap out of his reverie and he looked to see Annie gaze at the fireworks.

Mitchell remembered seeing on a flyer that a five-minute fireworks show would go off at 8. By anyone else's standards that was early, but since they didn't have a vampire-bent-on-world-domination after them, Mitchell thought it was best to leave. Not only that, but he came really close to kissing Annie…and even though he likes to think that he can control himself, he's not willing to take the risk. He let her go and she looked back down when she felt his arms slip away from her waist. '_No, no! Don't!'_ She mentally thought to herself.

He detached the monkey from his neck and held it in his hand instead, "I think it's time we go back. Don't know what's lurkin' around at this hour," he remind her.

Annie reluctantly nodded as she fiddled with the bear's ears, "I suppose," she smiled to hide her disappointment. Mitchell saw right through her façade and he grabbed her hand.

"The night is still young though, we can play some cards and eat popcorn when we get home," he swung her hand back and forth to make her and himself feel better.

"We still have that staring contest to finish," she added and laughed lightly.

He nodded and they walked together while taking in the spectacular view of the fireworks. He put away the rest of the tickets in his pocket and figured he could use them again with Annie or give them to George and Nina.

They left the crowded center square and walked up the street. Home wasn't far, but Annie still couldn't help but feel…tired, "Does the ability to eat also bring the ability to become exhausted?" Annie asked as the sole of her feet started to ache.

Mitchell looked over at her and without thinking he walked in front of her and kneeled down, "Hop on," he said with a smirk.

"What? No, Mitchell, it's—," she started politely but he gently grabbed her arms to wrap around his neck. He lifted her up and she held on tightly as he grabbed her thighs by his waist. She rested her head on his shoulder and whispered a thank you by his ear.

"Anything for you," he barely whispered back and figured that it was too low for her to hear, but her ears picked it up and she smiled against the warmth of his skin.

------

Even though Nina said that she wanted George to quickly find Ariana and apologize, the immediate questions she had about his lycanthropy got in the way. They spent about an hour in a question and answer session, and before more questions popped into her mind, she let him go and pleaded with him to go find Ariana.

George walked the dark streets and luckily encountered no trouble on his way back home. Given what Ariana said this morning about wandering from city to city, he figured she had no where to go at the moment but the house.

He walked the first step inside and found the switch to turn on the light. He closed the door behind him and looked into the living area…and just like he had imagined, there she was on the couch watching the tellie. He slowly walked up to the edge of the couch and noticed the blank expression on her face.

"I'll be out of your hair soon, I promise," she said with a raspy voice, "I'm just waiting for Annie and Mitchell to come back to say good bye."

George nodded and walked around to sit down beside her, "Do you have to go?" he asked sincerely.

"Your mood swings never cease to amaze me, little brother," Ariana said as she changed the channel.

"I know I was a bit…out of line earlier, but—"

"George, I'm not interested in what you have to say. I was in the wrong, I know. Just let it go and leave me be," Ariana answered bitterly and she flipped it to another channel.

He was obviously not getting through to her. He grabbed the control, turned off the tellie, and put the control down his pants.

"Oh real mature George," she said as she stood up and walked over to the kitchen. He removed the control and put it back on the couch before he followed her into the kitchen.

"Ariana, please listen to me, that's all I ask," he said as he sat across from her at the table.

"What's there to listen to George? You hate me and you have every reason to. I almost ruined your relationship with your girlfriend, I understand," she reiterated.

"That's the thing Ari, you didn't ruin my relationship…you actually made it better. And, I don't hate you…you know I love you…you're just so—so—"

"Annoying?" she answered for him.

He laughed, "Yeah, annoying…but what older sister isn't, right?" George tried to make the situation between them better.

She laughed a bit as well, "I'm sorry George. Ever since I died, I have been trying to become a better person. You actually have to thank your brother-in-law for that, if he was still around," she reminiscently.

He nodded and then it clicked, "Brother-in-law? You mean, you were married?"

She showed him the ring on her finger, "He was a vampire, like Mitchell. He was my best mate, but he died a couple of months back and I had no one else. No contact, no friends, no family. You have no idea how happy I was to find you, George. I missed you, little brother," she said and a tear rolled down her face.

He stood up and pulled her up into a fierce hug, "Ari, I'm so sorry," he whispered, "I missed you too. I didn't mean anything that I said earlier…you know how emotional I get," he laughed lightly.

She laughed as well, "Yeah, you do get emotional quite often," she admitted. They separated and wiped away their tears.

"So Mitchell and Annie are still out?" he asked to change conversation.

"Yes, I think they're quite cute together," she confessed as they took seats back at the table again.

"You've always been the matchmaker," George commented.

"It's what I do best!" Ariana smiled at him and George never felt so close to his sister before.

------

On the way back, Annie and Mitchell talked about several things and Mitchell would often crack a sarcastic joke that made her laugh. They were a few blocks away and laughing heartily when a dark figured came out from an alleyway ahead.

"Oh look, a vampire and a ghost. Is she your new pet Mitchell?" the dark figure called out and Mitchell stopped. He put her back down onto the floor and kept her guarded behind him, only to realize that two other figures stood behind them.

"I don't want a part of this Herrick. I thought you understood that yesterday," Mitchell answered confidently as he referred to the whole ordeal when George and Annie came to rescue him.

"Oh no, I got that message loud and clear," Herrick approached them, "But, you still haven't answered my question. That ghost seems very solid. I noticed that yesterday when she and your dog came to your rescue…Have you bitten her yet? Does she taste fresh?"

"Don't you dare touch her," Mitchell warned as his eyes turned black with anger.

"You're not the only one who can put on a show, Mitchell," Herrick replied as his eyes turned black too.

"Annie, go," Mitchell's eyes went back to normal and turned his head slightly to address her.

"There is no chance in hell that I'm going to leave you here alone," Annie replied.

"So it is that you two are together," Herrick commented with a laugh, "Once I get through with you Mitchell, I'm going to enjoy having her around or I might just burn down the house and watch her disappear forever."

Herrick saw Mitchell trying to work out an escape, but stopped him in his tracks, "You're outnumbered Mitchell…you always have been and you always will be," he said as he took out a stake from underneath his coat and twirled it.

Annie took initiative and went around in front of Mitchell, "What would it take for you to leave us alone?" she tried to bargain with him.

"Oh my dear, things have been set into motion, and it is my duty to do away with anything that may hinder those processes," Herrick approached her, but Mitchell pulled her closer to him as he took a step back.

They all heard people in the distance and the cover of the night couldn't keep them hidden for long, "We have no time for this, do it now," Herrick commanded the others. Annie felt Mitchell being pulled back from her as the two other vampires grabbed him from the arms.

Herrick pushed Annie out of the way and knocked her against the ground. She realized what they were about to do as Mitchell struggled against their hold. Herrick was going to stab Mitchell.

Her mind was in overdrive as several things happened at once. She saw random flashes of her and George laughing in the living room…other moments with her and Mitchell hugging when hope seemed so far away…recent flashes of her and Mitchell at the fair. She then felt pain course through her body and looked down at the stake that was driven through her heart. Annie had used her abilities to disappear and reappear to save Mitchell.

"Oh my God, he stabbed that woman!" a group of drunken people called out as the crossed the street and came across the scene.

The two vampires let go of Mitchell and he instantly caught Annie in his arms.

"Your pet ruined it again," Herrick sounded disappointed as he looked at the small group approaching, "But evolution has its way of attacking at different angles. I'll see you around, Mitchell," he said as he casually walked away from the scene and disappeared behind the dark alleyway.

The group of drunken people approached Mitchell and Annie and mumbled something about calling an ambulance.

A million things ran through Mitchell's mind as he held her in his arms. He saw the blood soak through her clothes and her eyes closed as if she had died all over again. He picked her up from under the legs, the stuffed bear and monkey in one hand under her back.

He told the people that it would be faster to take her to the hospital himself and they agreed and went about their business. Mitchell, of course, was taking her back home since they were only a few blocks away. The pink house on the corner became clearer as he approached it and was grateful to see the lights on. With one foot he banged against the door and within a few moments the door was opened.

"Annie!" George yelled out in a high pitched voice. He hurriedly closed the door behind and turned to see Mitchell put Annie down against the floor. George kneeled down and his nerves kicked in, "Oh my God, oh my God…what happened?" George asked as he grabbed Annie's hand.

"Herrick found us and was about to stab me when Annie got in the way," Mitchell answered. He brought Annie's hand up to his face and then Ariana came out of the kitchen.

"Honestly, you two are obviously not acquainted with the ghost anatomy," she said as she chewed on a piece of salami and George looked at her as if she were heartless.

Ariana kneeled down and explained her rude comment, "She's not dead, obviously! Stake a ghost's heart and you immobilize them. How else do you think ghosts were kept as slaves during the dark ages by vampires? It was also the way we found out how vampires could be killed once their own medicine was turned against them," she said and with no hesitation she pulled out the stake from Annie's heart. George jumped slightly and Mitchell shared the same worry, "She'll come to in a couple of seconds as the wound heals itself."

And as Ariana stated, a few seconds had passed by and they saw the wound inexplicably heal itself. The moment the wound closed up and the blood on the clothes disappeared, Annie gasped for air as did George in utter relief, "Oh thank God."

"What happened?" Annie called out and she saw as Mitchell stand up and walk a bit away.

"Herrick was about to stab Mitchell when he stabbed you instead," George restated what Mitchell had said earlier.

Annie looked up at Mitchell who was staring at his hands covered in blood. George helped Annie up and she approached Mitchell. She placed a hand on his arm, but he pushed away.

"I can't do this with you Annie," he whispered and looked at her directly.

At that moment, it felt as if she was being stabbed in the heart all over again, "What do you mean?" she asked in a cracked voice.

He had to push her away, for her sake and for his, "I don't love you Annie. I only went out with you as a friendly gesture," he lied.

George was about to protest, but Ariana held him back. Annie shook her head at him, "That's not true," she tried to speak up, but found it hard to project her voice, "Earlier at the fair, we looked at each other differently…we almost kissed," she tried to argue back.

"It didn't mean anything," Mitchell spoke more confidently as he started to walk to the stairs.

"The hell it didn't!" she found her voice and yelled at him. He ignored her and climbed the stairs leaving the others behind. Several cups in the kitchen popped and George jumped again. Annie couldn't control her feelings.

Ariana went over to her and pulled her into a hug. Annie just cried on her shoulder, while George went upstairs. He found Mitchell in the bathroom with his bloodied shirt off, washing his hands, "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Nothing is wrong," Mitchell answered firmly as he continued to wash his hands under the sink.

"I told you to go out and talk with her, not crush her heart," George hissed at him.

"It's better to stop it now than to let it go on any further," Mitchell said as he grabbed a hand towel and walked out towards his room.

"Stop what? The fact that you're in love with her too? Come on, Mitchell!" George spoke back and his voice carried down the stairs.

Annie's ears shot up and she quickly wiped her tears before climbing the stairs with Ariana behind.

"She took a stake in the heart for me, what else will she be willing to do?" Mitchell answered back and now the conversation was confined to his room.

George now understood, "It's exactly what we talked about earlier…you're afraid that when her door appears, she won't cross over because she'd rather stay with you. Mitchell, her wanting to save your life does not mean that she'll deny her chance to move on?"

"It doesn't, George?" Mitchell snapped at him, "I love her, alright. Yes, I've been falling for her since the first day we met. And as much as I want to have more with her, one of us is going to end up brokenhearted in the end. I either lose her or have her deny death and miss the only chance she'll ever have, which may be tomorrow, two days from now, next week, next year…I don't know," Mitchell confessed and then laughed bitterly as he looked through his drawer for a new shirt, "And not to mention that her blood is a constant temptation for me and the last thing I want is to give her any pain."

"As if what you did downstairs didn't cause any pain, right?" a female voice spoke out at the front of the room. Mitchell didn't have to look back to know that it was Annie.

"George, may I speak to Mitchell alone please?" George looked at Mitchell and then at Annie, gave a firm nod, and left the room closing the door behind him.

Mitchell refused to turn around as he continued to rummage through his drawer. Annie opened her mouth to speak, but Mitchell beat her to it, "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to know why you said those things downstairs," she replied cleverly.

"They were said in good reason," Mitchell said with a hint of anger and slammed the drawer. He failed to find a decent tee and walked around the bed to the pile of dirty clothes on the floor.

"Let me determine what good reason is," she pointed to herself, her anger matching is.

Mitchell stood up and calmed himself, "Annie—"

"No, Mitchell! I've had people tell me what to do all my life and the last time I let someone have that much control, I ended up dead. Owen robbed me of my life, my happiness…my dreams. Now, I've been given a second chance at things…to find that happiness again," she confessed to him.

"I'm not what you're looking for, Annie," Mitchell whispered.

"You're everything that I want, Mitchell!" she walked up to him and had her hands out to the side to emphasize her point. She then laughed shortly as she dropped her arms to the side, "I have to admit that at first I didn't see you in that light because I was too stupidly in love with Owen. And yes, I would be ecstatic to see my door appear…but Mitchell—Mitchell, somewhere along wanting to find my door I fell in love with you," she said that last part very quickly and closed her eyes in anxiety.

A few silent moments passed by and Annie wondered where Mitchell had heard her at all. She then felt Mitchell's rough hand close over her cheek and she opened her left eye first and then her right one. She looked up at him thought of something else to bring him fully in, "You and George are the only family I have. Don't rob me of that too Mitchell, "she shook her head and lifted her hand to rest upon his chest.

"Annie," he caressed her cheek with his thumb, "Decades ago, I allowed myself to fall in love with a ghost…she brought me out of the darkness that often comes with a vampire's lifestyle. To make a long story short, she crossed over the morning after we share an intimate night with each other. Some part of me still hates her for leaving without even saying goodbye." Annie shook her head and wondered what kind of person could do such a thing.

"What I'm trying to say Annie is…if you let me in, I don't think I can let you go. I'll be too selfish with you," Mitchell said as he held her face in his hands.

Annie laughed lightly again before she replied, "I thought I was going to be too selfish with you! I thought I had to fight George for your attention," she joked, the way she usually did. He couldn't help but laugh too and leaned in to kiss her forehead.

"Mitchell…I'm not going anywhere. I want a life again and there's no door or otherworldly creatures that can take that away from me…that can take me away from you," she confessed, "Unless George wins that fight with me," she laughed again.

"Let me in Mitchell," she pleaded. He saw the want and desire in her eyes and deep down inside he knew that one day she might change her mind, but her confession and attitude gave him the benefit of the doubt.

There was no point in fighting what he wanted anymore and like a magnet he leaned down and kissed her full on the lips. Annie's cold lips sent involuntary shivers down his spine and only made the kiss deeper. Annie parted her lips and moved closer to him as he wrapped her arms around his waist.

"What do you think they're doing?" George asked as he washed out the blood from the gray bear in the kitchen sink.

"Well, I don't hear any screaming, neither the good nor the bad," Ariana replied as she played with the monkey on the table.

"Good screaming?" George replied curiously as he pulled out the bear from the sink and laid it on the counter.

"Honestly, do I have to explain everything to you?" Ariana laughed.

Annie bit down on Mitchell's lip as they finished their kiss. They both smiled at each other as he pulled Annie to the bed, where he laid down with his arm around her and she rested herself against him.

"When a man loves a woman, certain relationships start to develop—" Ariana proceeded to explain to George.

"You mean, they could be…" and George tried to portray 'sex' by tapping his two pointer fingers together.

"Yes, they could be…" and Ariana repeated his action.

George audibly sounded disgusted and marched his way up on the stairs while Ariana followed.

"I never thought that I'd fall for someone decades older than me," Annie joked and Mitchell kissed her forehead again.

"I don't look that old, do I?" Mitchell joked back and Annie pulled herself up to examine his hair.

"Oh God! I see a white hair, here….and white hair, here," she giggled and Mitchell feigned hurt, and then attacked her with his traditional tickling techniques. Mitchell trapped her under his weight as she continued to giggle from his touch.

George and Ariana heard the giggling noises and he stormed into Mitchell's room, "Oh my God! Mitchell what are you doing?" he cried out and Mitchell separated himself from Annie, "You've deflowered Annie!"

"Did you really just say that?" Ariana smacked him across the arm.

Mitchell grabbed any random tee from the floor and slipped it on, "I wasn't deflowering Annie, George!" he explained as he got up from the bed.

"Thank you for defending my honor, George," Annie spoke up from the bed.

George gave a firm nod and crossed his arms clumsily. A few moments passed by and George spoke up again, "This is quite awkward, isn't it?" he turned to Ariana.

"Quite," Ariana agreed. Mitchell couldn't help but laugh at his best friend as he approached him and patted him on the shoulder.

"So you and Annie are…" George started and both Annie and Mitchell simultaneously said, "Together." Mitchell winked at Annie and she bit her bottom lip at the act.

"I'm happy for the both of you…but you'll also be glad to know that Nina knows I'm a werewolf," George smirked.

"Really?" Annie stood up from the bed, "How did she take it?"

"She's actually very fascinated about it…all thanks to my big sister," George put his arm over Ariana.

"If it wasn't for Ariana, I wouldn't have asked Mitchell out," Annie added as she grabbed Mitchell's hand.

"You've done a lot of good around here, Ari," George said sincerely and at that moment a yellow door appeared on Mitchell's wall.

"Dear Lord!" George jumped slightly at the sudden appearance.

Annie slightly jumped too and grabbed Mitchell's hand tightly, "That better not be my door," she whispered.

"Don't worry girlie, it's mine," Ariana walked up to it and put her hand on it.

"How do you know?" George asked with a hint of sadness in his voice.

"It has my name on it," she laughed and pointed to her name below the mail slot.

"Oh well, that makes sense," George replied as he squinted over at the spot.

Ariana continued to speak as she looked at her door, "I've been selfish and careless all my life. Right before I died, I refused to help a friend in need. And now I believe that was my unfinished business…I needed to help the people closest to me. Annie and Mitchell needed a push and my little brother needed help in opening up his relationship more," she finished and turned back to the trio behind her.

"Do you have to go?" George asked as he started to tear up.

Ariana nodded and Annie went up to give her a tight hug, "Thank you," Annie whispered to her.

"No, thank you," Ariana tried not to cry as she placed a curl behind Annie's ear. "Here," she said as she took off her yellow sweater, "I want you to keep it."

Annie was about to reject it, but Ariana insisted, "You can stuff everything in those pockets! You'll be amazed," Ariana laughed.

"And don't worry Annie," Ariana continued, "I have an inkling that your unfinished business still has a long way to go," she said as she referred to Mitchell. Annie gave her another hug as they both tried not to cry.

Mitchell came up next and hugged Ariana as well, "You take care of her," Ariana advised him, "Or I'll come back to haunt you!" she eyed him.

Mitchell laughed and nodded as he went back to hold Annie's hand, "I will."

Ariana finally turned to George, "I truly am sorry that I made your life hell," she laughed.

George closed the space between them and gave her a fierce hug, "You made life worthwhile," George whispered against her ear and she finally burst out crying against his shoulder.

She pulled back and wiped her tears away, "Time to go," she said in a cracked voice.

She went back to her door and turned the knob at the center. They all held their breath as she opened it. She took one step, but immediately took it back, "Wait, I forgot!"

"What?" George muttered through his tears.

"Throw away that hideous shirt with the roses! It's terrible!" she laughed and winked at all of them before she took a step and disappeared behind the doorframe.

The yellow door clicked shut behind her and disappeared into thin air.

"She always loved cracking jokes," George commented sadly at the blank wall.

"She was a good person," Mitchell clapped George's back in comfort. As he did, Annie dug into one of the pockets of Ariana's favorite yellow sweater. She pulled out a picture and showed it to George.

George took it and cried a bit more…it was a picture of them together when they were children.

[click here to see picture, don't forget to remove spaces: s19. photobucket. com/ albums / b157 / blueregard / georgeariana . jpg]

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"How's George doing?" Annie asked as she passed a cup of coffee to Mitchell at the kitchen table. It was past midnight already and George finally went to sleep after Ariana crossed over.

"He's better now," he said as he took a sip of the coffee. Mitchell noticed as she too drank some hot liquid herself.

"I'm going to miss her stories," Annie commented, her eyes focused on the floor somewhere.

"I'm curious…how much did Ariana tell you about ghost and vampire relations?" Mitchell asked her as he grabbed her hand from the table and pulled her over to his lap. They both settled their hot mugs on the surface as Annie made herself comfortable.

"The basics," she said as she combed his hair with her fingers, "Why?"

"Did she tell you the story of Lief and Jasna?" he asked her as he played with her other hand.

"No, but I'd love to hear it," Annie lied a bit. Through their conversations, Ariana did mention the name Jasna as one of the oldest living ghosts. She also happened to be the one who introduced Ariana to Mark.

She let Mitchell recount the story anyway because she wanted this to be the first of many stories he would tell her, now that she can start her life over again.

The End.

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**Notes: **This has got to be the longest chapter I've ever written for a fanfic! Lol! I really hope you enjoyed it! Credit of the picture goes to **wiseacre photo** on . I saw that picture and immediately thought "GEORGE AND ARIANA!" lol! And I hope you loved my take on Mitchell and Annie!

I may write a sequel that takes place a week or so after this and it might deal with Mitchell's temptation to drink blood...I may or may not, depending on whether people want to read more! Lol!


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